Remodelling of the angular collagen fiber distribution in cardiovascular tissues

• Published in: Biomechanics and modeling in mechanobiology Vol. 7; no. 2; pp. 93 - 103
• Main Authors: Driessen, Niels J. B., Cox, Martijn A. J., Bouten, Carlijn V. C., Baaijens, Frank P. T.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer-Verlag 01-04-2008; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animals; Aortic Valve - physiology; Arteries - physiology; Biological and Medical Physics; Biomechanics; Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering; Biophysics; Cardiovascular disease; Cardiovascular diseases; Collagen; Computer Simulation; Elasticity; Engineering; Fibrillar Collagens - physiology; Humans; Load; Mathematical models; Mechanotransduction, Cellular - physiology; Models, Cardiovascular; Morphology; Original Paper; Space life sciences; Stress, Mechanical; Theoretical and Applied Mechanics; Tissue Distribution; Tissue engineering; Arterial Wall; Fiber Direction; Aortic Valve; Collagen Fiber; Fiber Distribution
• ISSN: 1617-7959; 1617-7940
• DOI: 10.1007/s10237-007-0078-x

Understanding collagen fiber remodelling is desired to optimize the mechanical conditioning protocols in tissue-engineering of load-bearing cardiovascular structures. Mathematical models offer strong possibilities to gain insight into the mechanisms and mechanical stimuli involved in these remodelling processes. In this study, a framework is proposed to investigate remodelling of angular collagen fiber distribution in cardiovascular tissues. A structurally based model for collagenous cardiovascular tissues is extended with remodelling laws for the collagen architecture, and the model is subsequently applied to the arterial wall and aortic valve. For the arterial wall, the model predicts the presence of two helically arranged families of collagen fibers. A branching, diverging hammock-type fiber architecture is predicted for the aortic valve. It is expected that the proposed model may be of great potential for the design of improved tissue engineering protocols and may give further insight into the pathophysiology of cardiovascular diseases.